As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
An information handling system may include one or more microprocessors or other electronic components configured to perform the functions of a central processing unit (CPU). One or more heat sinks may be associated with an electronic component to increase the effective thermal mass and heat dissipation associated with the component. Electronics designers and users may find that a greater cooling rate allows increased operating speeds of the components so cooled. Some benefits of increased operating speeds may include, for example, an increase in how quickly and/or efficiently information may be processed, stored, and/or communicated.
FIG. 1 illustrates the use of a prior art heat sink 14 that may be used to increase the rate of heat transfer away from an electronic component associated with an information handling system. Electronic component 10 may include processing resources (e.g., one or more central processing units, a graphics processing unit, and/or a digital signal processor), storage units (e.g., a hard disk drive, flash memory, etc.), and/or any device configured to control data, to process data, to convert electric power (e.g., sensors, transducers, and actuators), and/or to distribute electric power.
Electronic component 10 includes pins 12 providing an electrical connection between electronic component 10 and the circuitry present on an associated circuit board. For example, pins 12 may include a connector configured to attach electronic component 10 to a CPU socket and/or CPU slot (e.g., to plug into a known “socket 478”, “socket T”, or any of the many CPU sockets provided to interface with one or more available CPUs). As another example, pins 12 may include a ball grid array (e.g., a fine ball grid array, a plastic ball grid array, a land grid array, a pin grid array, a dual in-line surface mount, and/or any other method of providing electrical connections to electronic component 10).
Heat sink 14 includes a mass 16 and a set of fins 18. Mass 16 is formed from an appropriate material with relatively high thermal conductivity (e.g., a metal block or aluminum and/or copper alloy). Fins 18 increase the surface area of heat sink 14 and, therefore, increase the rate of heat transfer through convection, conduction, and/or radiation between mass 16 and the environment. Extended Fins 18 define a primary flow direction, shown by arrow 20. In most information handling systems, the cooling fluid is room air drawn across fins 18 by a fan mounted in the case of the system.
The heat transfer from electronic component 10, mass 16, and/or fins 18 depends on the velocity of the cooling fluid, the specific heat of the cooling fluid, the surface area of fins 18, and the temperature difference between the cooling fluids and electronic component 10, mass 16, and/or fins 18. The heat removed from electronic component 10 is generally rejected to room air by the action of the fan, raising the cooling load in the surrounding air.